Mr. Speaker, this is a private member's bill that amends the Employment Insurance Act to eliminate that two-week waiting period.

As we all know, young families suffer incredibly when they lose the job that sustains them. It is very traumatic. Low-wage single-parent families live from paycheque to paycheque. Therefore, the point of this bill is to make sure that those interminable two weeks are eliminated, because that waiting period can indeed put a great strain on any family.

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations between all parties and I believe you will find unanimous support for the following motion:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practices of the House, a take-note debate on the subject of the horrific state of human rights in Iran take place pursuant to Standing Order 53.1 on Monday, May 14, 2012, and that during the debate no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair.

Mr. Speaker, while I am on my feet, pursuant to Standing Order 81(4)(a), I would like at this time to designate Tuesday, May 15, for consideration in committee of the whole of all votes under Environment in the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013.

Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting two petitions. The first is from the students, parents and community of John Paul II Catholic Secondary School in London.

These community members ask Canada to draw attention to the situation in Attawapiskat. They ask the House to demand that the Government of Canada immediately act on the housing crisis there.

The petitioners also call on the Government of Canada to provide the first nations community of Attawapiskat with the financial supports to address short and long-term housing needs and pursue a functional working relationship with the first nation and to use measures and means other than third party management to achieve a better quality of life for the residents of Attawapiskat. They also ask the government to honour its commitment to provide the students of Attawapiskat with a new school.

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a community in London, Ontario that is supportive of democracy in the Congo.

The petitioners draw the attention of the Parliament of Canada to the fact that the November 28, 2011 elections in the democratic Republic of Congo were fraudulent. They also draw the Government of Canada's attention to the continuous Congolese demonstrations taking place in major western cities around the world, including in Canada.

The petitioners wish to point out that Canada contributed $9 million over five years to the UN to help fund the election in the Congo. Six Canadians took part along with 118 observers. The petitioners want Canada to ask the tough questions about the electoral process there because they are concerned and want to put--

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition from my constituents in Kitchener Centre who point out that Canada is the only nation in the western world, and in the company of China and North Korea, without any laws protecting the rights of children before birth. They said that Canada's Supreme Court has said that it is Parliament's responsibility to deal with this issue.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to enact legislation to restrict abortion to the greatest extent possible.

I would be happy if we could just have an informed discussion about the rights of children before birth.

Yesterday marked the two year anniversary since I first asked for an emergency debate on CCSVI in the House. In two years, 800 Canadians died of multiple sclerosis. It is also two years since the member for St. Paul's and myself began asking for a registry and clinical trials for CCSVI. The government eventually committed to both but, unfortunately, neither has begun.

I remember all those we have lost and their families.

The petitioners call upon the Minister of Health to consult experts actively engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of CCSVI to undertake phase III clinical trials on an urgent basis in multiple centres across Canada and to require follow-up care.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present two petitions today signed by constituents in the riding that h I represent and they are both on the same topic.

The petitioners are concerned that Canada's 400-year-old definition of human beings says that a child does not become a human being until the moment of complete birth, which, in their opinion, is contrary to 21st century medical evidence.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to confirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of the Criminal Code.